Maryland authorities said three people were killed late Saturday when a small plane crashed in Prince George’s County.
Maryland State Police said the single-engine Piper Cherokee went down around 11:30 p.m. Saturday in a wooded area of Bowie.
The pilot and two adult passengers were killed in the crash, officials said. Their identities are being withheld until their families can be notified.
Police said they believe the plane belonged to a Montgomery County flight school and was taking part in a training flight when the crash happened.
The aircraft took off from Ocean City, New Jersey and was heading toward Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg.
Authorities said they first received an “iPhone crash alert” just before midnight near where U.S. Route 50 meets U.S. Route 301.
First responders from Bowie, Maryland State Police, and Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties searched for the source of the crash alert. They eventually found the downed aircraft around 3:45 a.m. Sunday near Scarlet Oak Terrace in Bowie.
“We don’t have any other information at this point from any eyewitnesses or anybody that heard anything. The only thing we have is that iPhone crash alert,” Maryland State Police spokesperson Elena Russo said.
State police said the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will lead the investigation into the crash.
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